ArchivedLogs:Better Than a Drug Den

Better Than a Drug Den
Dramatis Personae Fiona and Paige
In Absentia	2017-01-07 '
Location <NYC> Chinatown
One of New York's oldest neighborhoods and the oldest Chinese enclave outside of Asia, Chinatown is a vibrant ethnic community, which draws throngs of tourists annually as well. This neighborhood is packed with Chinese-owned businesses, from restaurants to groceries to theaters to fashion. Fiona is thickly bundled up on this nice twenty degree day; she does in fact have her thickest clothing on. A fuzzy grey scarf is wrapped around her neck with a matching knit cap on her head. Little puffs of vapor mark her breath. She's not one of the only ones on the street but the crowds are definitely much sparser. She's probably looking for a better spot to hunker down - maybe on her way to or from the mutant shelter that Steve had mentioned. Despite the cold, Paige does not seem to be deterred from being outside. Leaning against an apartment building, she wears a unique ushanka hat - one with holes for her horns and ears - her battered grey sweatshirt which contain her hands, and her single pair of jeans. The hooved girl seems a bit dazed and looks to be enthralled by the snowflakes falling from the sky. Her posture looks tired and weak, but eventually her eyes spot a familiar face. Or well, a familiar tail. A familiar -red- tail. "Fiona!" comes the older girl's voice, shouted across the street to her friend, as she enthusiasticly waves. Oh yeah... THAT'S probably the reason Fiona came to Chinatown... all those texts! "Paige! Hi!" Fiona waves, "I got your texts, is everything okay?!" she blinks at the goat-girl. Everything looks mostly okay! "I figured I would come by to check but, I forgot which apartment is Mai's... there's um... a lot of them here! I guess I should've just texted," she nods, adjusting her scarf. Thankfully, her long coat (mostly) keeps her tail warm... though it's obviously not optimal. Maybe some kind of tail-stocking. You'd think she would have solved such a problem by now. Paige's brief expression of surprise quickly gives way to one of embarrassment. "I sent -you- text messages, too? Oh god...What--Do I even want to know what they said? I'm so sorry, Fiona. I've, uh, been kind of sick?" Her pitch raises at the end of her statement, giving it an inflection. "It's--it's this one. The apartment building. It's this one," the goat girl informs her friend as she pulls out her phone and starts poking at the display. "Oh gosh," she whispers, brows furrowing as she swipes through. "Dinosaurs?" Then, somewhat to herself, "It -was- hot." Suddenly her ears flick upwards and her attention returns to Fiona, and she jams her phone back into her jean pocket. "Where have you been? I've been so worried! Well, I was worried and then I...I--well, couldn't think straight, but that's why I must have sent you all those texts! Have you been sleeping inside? -Please- tell me you've been sleeping inside." "Well, I mean, no... I had dinner with a teacher from Xavier's though; he gave me his number? Hm," Fiona shrugs, looking less worried about the whole thing than Paige probably is. "So, you got sick?" she looks rather concerned about THAT however. "You seem okay now though, mostly. I mean. Yeah. The Xavier's guy bought me dinner a couple nights ago too. C-can we step out of the cold?" she moves towards the alcove of the apartment building, at least to get out of the wind. "Oh, of course," Paige replies, making towards the alcove after Fiona. "I'm sorry, I'm still...recovering. My body is still really hot, but I think my fever's gone down." Her hands gesture idly. "It's not contagious. It wasn't really a...infection, you know? My body, uh, well I, um, kind of...have...fur now." The older girl says this last part quietly before moving onto what she considers to be a much more important topic. "Well, -that- seems like one way to get an 'in' on your way to Xavier's. So you're actually thinking of going there?" A pause as she chews on her bottom lip. "I don't think I've met any teachers from there - does he have a name? Sounds like a really nice guy to buy you dinner and all. Have you eaten since then?" Then, even more seriously and accompanied by a very worried look, "And what do you mean 'no'?" "No, I haven't been sleeping inside..." Fiona trails off, then nods, "Yeah, I've eaten since then. And yeah, I'm thinking of going there, I guess. I don't really get why it takes so long... It's a little almost like they don't WANT people to go there? Even Matt... Well, Matt, that was his name - he didn't give it a super glowing recommendation. Something about being treated differently because of physical mutations," she shrugs. Paige continues biting her lip as Fiona speaks, watching the girl with a concerned gaze. When Matt's name is mentioned, her ears flick up in recognition. "Matt? I met a Matt once. He was at Evolve with Dusk. It was...well, it was my first interaction with mutants. Like directly. It feels like such a long time ago. He seemed like a very nice man." Leaning herself against a wall again, she tilts her head. "Do you think that's it? I mean, I don't think that they wouldn't want people going there. I mean, it's for people like us--well, you, since I'm too old. But that's -- what you said -- that's...sad. We're always being treated, um, differently because of our physical mutations, but it happens at that school as well?" The hooved girl's posture deflates somewhat. "That's...I really can't believe that." She lets out a sigh, slowly reaching over to gently grab her left side as she does so. "But...why don't we try to work on one thing at a time, okay? Like finding you a place to sleep. Mai's got a couch and, from what I've been told, you've stayed there before. You could...I mean, you -could-, you know, take my place, right? I wish you had told me about not having a bed, though. I feel like such an asshole now." "What do you mean 'take your place?'" Fiona echoes, "I don't mind sleeping on the floor anyway. The floor is better than the ground," she smirks. "Anyway, it's fine. I've been thinking and... what if it was easier to /get/ whoever is after me? Then I could go back home. I wouldn't have to stay here in New York at all." Paige's hands fidget. "I mean like, well, Mai only has a limited amount of resources and I'm not able to pay her anything. So, like, if you don't have a, uh, place to stay and we couldn't -both- stay with Mai -- I'm not saying we can't, but I don't know -- then I'd rather you stay with her than me, you know?" The blonde girl's hand reaches to rub at the back of her neck. Doing so causes her to tense slightly at the unfamiliar feel and she ends up letting her arm drop back down. "What are -you- talking about, though?" "Nah, it's fine. I can survive out in this," Fiona shrugs a little, "It doesn't really hurt me a bit. If you know," she snorts a small flame out of her nose, "What I mean," the dragon girl smiles. "I meant though, it's... well this city, I guess? I heard it was kind of a mecca for mutants but..." she shrugs. "I just don't see why it's so difficult to find a place to live. I was just thinking... maybe it'd be better if I found my own way. I mean not separate from you guys, just, I've been thinking all this time that someone would come to my rescue, and it seems like... well maybe I'm just dumb." Paige raises her hand to her mouth when Fiona blows out a bit of fire, but her ears flick up and back in apparent excitement. "I keep forgetting that you can do that," she admits with a small grin. But as the dragon girl continues speaking, her expression changes and her ears wilt. "Fiona," the goat girl offers gently. "I know--I know what you mean. You're -not- dumb. Life just doesn't always work out the way we expect it to, you know?" She crosses her arms in front of her. "Do you think...I didn't plan for any of this. I think, maybe, I was kind of expecting the same thing as you, you know? I mean, I didn't think anyone would, uh, save me...but...I thought it would be -different-." There's a pause as the older girl drops her head and closes her eyes. "On the other hand, people -have- saved me. Steve. Hive. Marinov. Mai. You. You, Marinov, and Mai are what truly keep me going everyday. I don't--I don't have a life outside of the three of you, okay? And my family is shit." Her eyes open again as she watches Fiona. Arms unfold and she rubs one idly. "I've been---Look, you're probably going to tell me it's an awful idea. That's what everyone else seems to think. And they're right, maybe it -is- an awful idea, but I don't really have any -other- ideas, so...I've been thinking. I've heard some people live in the sewers, right? And I mean--don't take me wrong -- I -love- living above ground. But it's dangerous. Especially when you're not sure you'll be allowed to stay where you're at, you know?" "But if you're going somewhere...Well, I don't want you going alone, okay? I might just have to tag along." A weak attempt at a smile is offered with this assertion as if Paige is trying to reassure her friend. "Hrm," Fiona murmurs, thinking back to the raven boy she met that lived down there. "I dunno about living in the sewers. I figured I'd just find a place somewhere... like, some abandoned building or something that still got electricity? Or not, I dunno. But someplace I could settle for a little while in." She shrugs, "But I mean, someone oughta do something about these idiots running around hurting people. There wouldn't be so many problems." Paige lets out a sigh, slumping further. "Yeah, -no- one seems to be a fan of my sewers idea. But those people out there hurting others, hurting us...that's not our problem, Fiona. It -can't- be. We simply can't be responsible for that. We've got to look out for ourselves first, you know? And, besides, I've heard there are groups out on patrol, snuffing out trouble. So don't--don't worry about it, okay? As for finding a place, why don't we try talking to Mai first. If it doesn't work out, there's that shelter Steve mentioned. I-- -I'll- go there if we can't figure something else out, alright? And what you'd want is heat, not elec--" Paige she cuts herself as she blinks, rolls her eyes, and presses a hand to her face. "Oh. Right. Sorry. Forgot. -Again-. Yeah, electricity it is then. But why don't we hear what Mai has to say first?" "Yeah, that's a good idea," Fiona smirks. Maybe Mai'll even let them stay there until winter's over... once that's done, well. "A-anyway. I thought it'd be nice to have some electricity. Heat, too, I mean, unless you wanna burn stuff inside. I guess you could rig up some kinda stove..." she shrugs. "But um, aaaactually I just... maybe wanted a place where I could hook up a computer or a TV and ah..." she trails off, shrugging and kicking at the snow with her boots. Paige straightens her posture and folds her arms again as she gives Fiona a look that's somewhere in between confusion and concern. "Where would you be getting this computer from? And this TV? And...stove? And, hey, it's not exactly...-nice- to steal someone else's electricity, you know? I mean, if it's on, someone's got to be paying for it, right?" The older girl sighs and ducks her head. "Sorry. That was...rude of me. Just tell me you're not planning on stealing anything, okay? Well, at least, not something like a freaking computer or TV. Not sure how you'd steal the stove; that one's on you." There's a momentary pause. "You doing alright, Fiona? I mean, aside from all the...you know, physical stuff we've been talking about. How are you holding up mentally?" "No no no no," Fiona shakes her head, "I wouldn't do that." She growls a little under her breath. "How am I?" she blinks, shrugging a little, "I'm going crazy I guess..." she trails off. "Like, no, I'm not alright. Everything is all possible kinds of fucked up. Like who gives a shit about stealing when this entire city is WRONG. Tear it all down and let the trees and grass come back from the ashes. I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SITUATION!" she shouts, then sighs, shoulders slumping. "Except for the people I've met. You and Marinov've been awesome. 'n stuff. 'n I dunno." Paige's ears flick up in alarm and then press backwards in apparent fright as her eyes widen at Fiona. "H-Hey," the older girl offers gently, hesitantly reaching an arm towards her friend. "Hey. -Heeeey-. Whoa. Fiona. Fiona..." The look on her face is one of serious concern and worry while she struggles to find the right words to help soothe the dragon girl. "I'm...-sorry-. I'm sorry this city, this life, isn't what you expected it to be. I'm sorry that you're in such a fucking shitty situation where you're alone and sleeping on the fucking ground and...Look. -Look-, you've got me, and Marinov, and Mai, and this guy Matt, and I'm sure you've met some other folx, right? You've got us all looking out for you, okay? I'm so sorry that I didn't -- I didn't manage to keep in touch with you after we met with Steve. Things just really went south there and I was scared. Fuck, I -am- scared. But you--you..." Stumbling over her words, the goat girl is beginning to look a little bit desperate. "What's the best thing I could do to help you right now? Please. Anything. Please." "Things and stuff!" Fiona shakes her head, sighing. "I don't think anything that's in your power? I miss home. I miss being able to see TREES, and forests, and like actual forests not like Central Park. And I miss curling up on my bean bag chair and playing video games on days like these," she leans against the brick wall of the building, bracing herself with one booted foot. At this point there's a blur of motion and then Paige will find herself enveloped in firm hug with nerd-girl bawling on her shoulder. Paige seems about to say something when her breath catches as she suddenly finds herself in an embrace. Hands, hesitant and unsure at first, soon wrap around the younger girl and hold her tightly. "I would be home," she admits in a whisper. "I would be safe at home. In my room. At my desk. Maybe playing a video game, you know?" There's a pause in her words; her face is red and she chokes down a lump in her throat. "But we're not home. We're here. In this place, fucked up as it is. We'll see trees one day, yeah? Go out to a National Park or something like that? Maybe when---maybe when the weather clears up?" It's a bold statement for Paige to make, seeing as she has currently has no resources of her own in order to pull this off. "When it's a little warmer outside? It's cold now. The trees are probably bare. It--it wouldn't be as much fun, you know?" Though her face is flush, her breathing seems to be calm. As part of Fiona's face is likely touching her own, since that's how shoulder-bawling hugs work, the dragon girl might notice that there's a soft fuzz on it. "We'll get you a bean bag chair. And we'll get you a computer. We'll--we'll make a home for ourselves somewhere, o-okay?" The goat girl is probably grateful that her friend can't actually -see- her face; her anxiety at making all of these promises is quite evident in her eyes. Now that her glasses are all good and smeared up and hair tousled, Fiona appears to be calming down. Paige probably has no idea how lucky the surrounding neighborhood is that it is not on fire right now! Or maybe she totally DOES realize that. "R-really? You promise?" she murmurs, blinking away tears. "Hey. You're like, all fuzzy, and stuff." Cheekrub. Abrupt mood swing. "Are... are you growing fur? Fuzzy... fur?" she steps back, holding Paige by the shoulders, and then leans over and peer over the ridge of her smeared blurry glasses. "Y-yeah. I-I promise," Paige replies, taking many deep, ragged breaths despite the slight pain they cause her. "I-I'll make it happen, okay? Don't you worry. It'll---I'll make it all work out, sure." The abject look of anxiety on her face probably tells the world a different story. But when the topic changes, the older girl blinks, blushing. "Yeah, I...I kind of...grew it..." When Fiona steps back, Paige's head drops and she scuffs a hoof. "It's...it's, uh..." Her gaze comes back up, watching the other girl's reaction. "It's...soft..." "I like it." At that moment, Fiona realizes what she is doing and stops, stepping back and looking suddenly very awkward. "Look. I have an idea. N-not the series, but in a city this big, there's got to be some abandoned buildings and stuff around, right? When someone can't pay their property tax, the building gets taken by the city. There's tons of them. We just have to... find one." "But isn't that--isn't that, like, illeg---" Paige apparently decides not to finish that statement, even though the direction it was going is obvious. "That...that...I mean, I guess--I wouldn't really feel the best about doing that, but I -guess- that could, you know, work?" Eyebrows raise as she bears a rather sheepish expression on her face. "I just---" Her eyes close. Deep breath, hold, exhale. Repeated. Then once more. She opens her eyes again. "Where?" "I mean yeah it'd be illegal, but so's a lot of things. It wouldn't be IMMORAL though, right? If nobody's using the place, then who cares? Better someone lives there than it gets used as a drug den, right?" Fiona murmurs, shrugging. This may be a side that Paige's not seen before - the same side that led her on a two month trek across the eastern US. "I dunno where yet. I figure we shop around. Maybe sometime that's NOT in a snowstorm," she laughs. "Did you ever have a cool hangout spot when you were a kid that you weren't supposed to go to? It'll be just like that!" "Not really," Paige answers. "I used to mostly keep to myself." At this, she ducks her head and sticks her hands into her sweatshirt pocket. I'm still not sure I'm completely on board with this, you know? It kind of -feels- immoral to me, but I also grew up with a lot of privilege. So, I guess I'm a little biased. I mean, well, okay, I kind of used to hang out in the employee area at my granddad's grocery store when I was supposed to be, uh, outside like offering people samples, you know? I was like ten, okay? It was boring and stupid and the cheese my dad had me offering was stupid. It didn't taste good." At least, not to a ten year-old. "But then sometimes when I was younger, I'd also hide behind boxes and stuff and make my dad find me. It was---" Paige's ears flick, and she narrows her eyes at Fiona. "What we were talking--- Oh, right." She lets out a sigh and glances up at the sky. "I think I'm finally feeling cold again. And, yeah, it is...it -is- nice. It's soft. I haven't really decided if I like it or not. It's just really...soft...you know?" She hunches over for a moment before straightening up again. "Better than a drug den. Yeah. Sure. We'll figure something out. Do you want--do you want to see if we can go inside?"